Breadline Africa installed its 900th pre-fabricated educational building in Atlantis this past week, pushing them ever closer to the goal of 1000.
Western Cape, South Africa (12 October 2022) – Four years ago, Breadline Africa set an ambitious goal: placing 1,000 infrastructure units, benefitting 250,000 children in under-resourced South African communities by 2023 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the organisation.
With the launch of a 36m² prefabricated classroom with toilet facilities on Monday 10 October 2022 at Nobuntu Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Disability Centre in Atlantis on the West Coast of the Western Cape, they are just 100 units away from reaching this huge target.
Breadline Africa has been working in under-resourced communities in South Africa for the past 29 years, providing infrastructures such as classrooms, libraries, toilets and kitchens.
“When we converted our first shipping container almost 30 years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine that we would reach this stage of launching our 900th structure,” says Marion Wagner, Director of Breadline Africa. “Our first project was completed in Montagu, Western Cape in 1996 and since then we have expanded our work across all provinces, benefitting 163,806 children.”
Breadline Africa handed over a newly converted classroom, toilet facilities and a jungle gym to the 80 children of Nobuntu. The handover was attended by City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, and Western Cape Provincial Minister of Education, David Maynier.
Minister David Maynier stressed the importance of foundation phase education: “The foundation phase grades are the make-or-break phase in our schools. If a child falls behind at this point, catching up later is so much more difficult. We know that children who attend ECDs have a head start. For this reason, Western Cape Education we will be creating 500 permanent Grade R teacher positions here in the Western Cape.”
In 2017, Anastacia Mtumtum established Nobuntu as a pre-school with a particular focus on children with disabilities. The first site was a dumping ground which left a lot of work to make the grounds a sanitary environment for children. Since COVID-19, it became very difficult to accommodate all children with disabilities as space was very limited, especially with some requiring wheelchair access. Children therefore attended on alternative days.
“The new classroom will allow Nobuntu to accommodate all 80 children at the same time, while offering them modern infrastructure and educational facilities,” says Wagner.
In addition to running the school, Anastacia runs a feeding programme, providing breakfast and lunch to the children attending the school and to others within the local community.
“We admire Anastacia’s ability and commitment to running the school and a busy kitchen at the same time. Good nutrition is a crucial part of a child’s education; it is very difficult for a child to focus on school with an empty stomach or worrying about when and where they will get their next meal,” says Wagner.
“With 100 units to go, we are calling on all individual and corporate sponsors to consider partnering with us to help improve the lives of our children in impoverished communities. With your support, we can offer them a better future by opening doors through education,” says Wagner.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis congratulated Breadline Africa on achieving this special milestone.
“This classroom will allow children living with disabilities an opportunity to attend a really great foundation phase learning opportunity. We want every child born in this city to feel a sense of hopefulness, that this is a good place to live and grow up.”
To find out more about Breadline Africa, visit www.breadlineafrica.org, or follow them on Facebook at @BreadlineAfrica.
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